JP4073388B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator for cooling the storage compartment by natural convection, in particular, it relates to a refrigerator having an ion generator that generates ions.

  A conventional refrigerator having an ion generator for generating ions is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In this refrigerator, an air blower and an electrode of an ion generator are arranged in a cold air duct arranged behind the storage room. Negative ions are released into the storage chamber together with the cold air flowing through the cold air duct by driving the blower. Thereby, the odor component of the stored product can be removed. In addition, the storage chamber can be sterilized by generating negative ions and positive ions by the ion generator and sending them to the storage chamber.

On the other hand, a direct-cooling type refrigerator is known in which a cool air duct and a blower are not provided, and the cooler of the cooler is discharged to the storage room to cool the storage room by natural convection. This refrigerator can reduce power consumption by omitting a blower.
JP 2003-14365 A (2nd page-6th page, FIG. 3)

  However, since the conventional direct cooling refrigerator is not provided with a cold air duct and a blower, an ion generator is not installed, and there is a problem that odor removal and sterilization in the storage chamber cannot be performed. An object of this invention is to provide the direct-cooling type refrigerator which can perform the odor removal and sterilization in a storage chamber.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a storage chamber for storing a stored item, and cooling means for releasing cold and adjoining the storage chamber through a back plate of the storage chamber, In the refrigerator that cools the storage chamber by natural convection generated by the cold heat that is released to the storage chamber, an ion generator that generates ions and a blower that takes in and exhausts air in the storage chamber, An ion delivery unit having the ion generator arranged on the exhaust side of the blower is provided, the ion delivery unit is attached to the rear on the upper surface side of the storage chamber, the rear part of the ion delivery unit is bent downward and extends downward. tip discharge port provided in the from the discharge port together with air in the ion discharge unit in the space below by ejecting the ions, the cooling means said ion It is characterized in that discharging into the storage compartment of the rear plate side of the upper vicinity.

  According to this configuration, the cold heat generated by the cooling means is released into the storage chamber through the wall surface, the cold air having a low temperature descends along the wall surface, and the cold air naturally convects in the storage chamber. Ions are released from the ion generator arranged in the vicinity of the upper surface of the storage chamber, and the ions are contained in the cold air flowing along the upper surface of the storage chamber by natural convection. Thereby, cold air containing ions circulates in the storage chamber. The cooling means can be installed on the back wall or side wall of the storage room. Further, the ion generator may be attached to the upper surface of the storage chamber, or may be attached to the back surface or the side surface close to the upper surface.

Further , according to this configuration, the ion delivery unit is arranged in the vicinity of the upper surface by being attached to the upper surface or the back surface of the storage chamber. The cold air flowing through the upper surface of the storage chamber is taken into the ion sending unit by driving the blower, and ions are contained in the exhaust of the blower and are sent into the storage chamber.

According to the present invention, in the refrigerator configured as described above, the blower is made of a sirocco fan, and the ion sending unit has an intake port for taking in cold air arranged at an upper front portion. According to this configuration, cold air is taken into the ion delivery unit from the front upper intake port by driving the sirocco fan, and is sucked from, for example, the axial direction of the sirocco fan and exhausted in the circumferential direction. Then, ions are contained in the exhaust of the sirocco fan and are sent into the storage chamber from the lower rear outlet. Intake from the circumferential direction of the sirocco fan and exhaust in the axial direction may be performed.

Or the present invention, in the refrigerator structured as described above, the ion discharge unit is characterized by having an illumination lamp for illuminating the storage compartment. According to this configuration, the storage room is illuminated by the illuminating lamp arranged near the upper surface of the storage room.

  According to the present invention, in the refrigerator configured as described above, the ion delivery unit has an adsorption filter that adsorbs an odor component contained in the intake air and is disposed on the intake side of the blower. According to this configuration, the cool air taken into the ion delivery unit is removed of the odor component by the adsorption filter, and is guided to the ion generator via the blower.

  Moreover, the present invention is characterized in that in the refrigerator having the above-described configuration, positive ions and negative ions are generated by the ion generator.

  Moreover, the present invention is characterized in that the refrigerator having the above-described configuration is provided with a control unit that controls the amount of ozone generated by the ion generator to 0.1 mg / hr or less.

  According to the present invention, since the ion generator is installed in the vicinity of the upper surface of the storage chamber, ions can be easily circulated in the storage chamber by including ions in the cold air flowing along the upper surface of the storage chamber by natural convection. . Moreover, a stored item can be stored without the ion generating device getting in the way, and a decrease in usability of the refrigerator can be prevented.

  In addition, according to the present invention, since the ion delivery unit including the ion generator and the blower is provided, ions can be circulated more easily in the storage chamber. Moreover, since it is sufficient that the cool air passes through the ion delivery unit by the blower, an increase in power consumption can be suppressed by using a blower with a small air volume. Moreover, since the ion generator is disposed on the exhaust side of the blower, it is possible to prevent the disappearance of ions due to the collision with the blower.

  According to the present invention, since the blower is made of a sirocco fan, the ion delivery unit can be made thin. In addition, since the ion delivery unit has an intake port disposed in the upper front portion and a discharge port disposed in the lower rear portion, it is possible to easily take in the natural convection cool air in the storage chamber and easily follow the natural convection. Can be exhausted.

  According to the present invention, since the ion delivery unit has the illumination lamp, it is not necessary to separately provide a casing for installing the illumination lamp in the storage chamber, and the number of parts can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, since the ion delivery unit has the adsorption filter, there is no need to separately provide a housing for installing the adsorption filter in the storage chamber, and the number of parts can be reduced and odor components can be removed. In addition, since the adsorption filter is arranged on the intake side of the blower, air containing ions does not pass through the adsorption filter, so that the disappearance of ions due to adsorption can be prevented.

  According to the present invention, positive ions and negative ions are generated by the ion generator, so that the storage chamber can be sterilized.

  According to the present invention, since the ozone generation amount of the ion generator is controlled to 0.1 mg / h or less by the control unit, the ozone concentration in the storage chamber can be 0.01 ppm or less, and the unpleasant feeling due to the smell is prevented. be able to.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment. The refrigerator 1 includes a casing 2 made of a heat insulating material, and a refrigerator compartment 3 and a freezer compartment 4 are provided from above. The refrigerator compartment 3 and the freezer compartment 4 are insulated and insulated by a heat insulating wall 5 integrated with the housing 2.

  FIG. 2 shows a side sectional view of the refrigerator 1. The front surfaces of the refrigerator compartment 3 (storage compartment) and the freezer compartment 4 can be opened and closed by doors 3a and 4a, respectively. A cooler 10 (cooling means) is installed behind the refrigerator compartment 3 via a back plate 3b. The cooler 10 is configured by meandering the refrigerant pipe 10a through which the refrigerant flows, and the refrigerant pipe 10a is arranged in contact with the back plate 3b. The freezer compartment 4 is provided with an upper wall 6 and shelves 7 and 8. The upper wall 6 and the shelves 7 and 8 are each provided with a cooler 11 configured by meandering refrigerant pipes 11a in the same manner as described above.

  The coolers 10 and 11 are connected to a compressor 12 disposed behind the freezer compartment 4. The compressor 12 operates the refrigeration cycle under the control of the control unit 13 to cool the coolers 10 and 11. The cold heat discharged from the cooler 11 is discharged into the freezer compartment 4 through the upper wall 6 and the shelves 7 and 8, and the cooled air in the freezer compartment 4 falls from the upper wall 6 and the shelves 7 and 8. As a result, natural convection occurs in the freezer compartment 4 to circulate cold air, and the stored items in the freezer compartment 4 are stored frozen.

  Moreover, the cold heat discharged | emitted from the cooler 10 is discharge | released in the refrigerator compartment 3 via the back plate 3b, and the air in the cooled refrigerator compartment 3 falls along the back plate 3b. As a result, natural convection is generated in the refrigerator compartment 3 to circulate the cold air, and the stored items in the refrigerator compartment 3 are refrigerated. In addition, the dew condensation which generate | occur | produces on the back plate 3b by cooling by cold heat flows down along the back plate 3b. A drain pipe 14 for collecting and draining the condensed water is provided on the back surface of the refrigerator 1.

  An ion sending unit 20 for sending ions is attached to the upper surface 3 c of the refrigerator compartment 3. The ion sending unit 20 is arranged so that the back surface is in contact with the back plate 3b. 3 and 4 show a perspective view and a front view of the ion delivery unit 20, respectively. In the ion delivery unit 20, a cover 22 made of a transparent resin molded product is attached to a main body 21 made of a resin molded product.

  An intake port 20a for taking in cold air in the refrigerator compartment 3 is formed in the upper front portion of the ion delivery unit 20, and a discharge port 20b for discharging cold air is provided in the lower rear portion. The discharge port 20b is provided above the cooler 10. Thereby, as will be described later, the contact between the ions discharged from the discharge port 20b and the condensation on the surface of the back plate 3b can be suppressed, and the disappearance of ions can be reduced.

  5, 6, and 7 show a bottom view, a top view, and a side sectional view of the ion delivery unit 20, respectively. The inside of the ion delivery unit 20 is partitioned by a rib 30, and an illuminating lamp 28 that illuminates the inside of the refrigerator compartment 3 through the cover 22 (see FIG. 3) is provided behind. Thereby, it is not necessary to provide a separate housing for installing the illumination lamp 28, and the number of parts can be reduced. A blower 25 made of a sirocco fan is disposed in front of the illumination lamp 28. The ion delivery unit 20 can be made thin by a sirocco fan.

  The intake passage 23 formed by the rib 30 facing the intake port 20a has an upper step portion 23c and a lower step portion 23d communicating with each other through the communication hole 23a. The lower step portion 23d faces the intake portion 25a of the blower 25 through the through hole 23b, and guides intake air to the intake portion 25a in the axial direction. By forming the intake passage 23 in two stages, the cold air can be easily introduced into the blower 25 including a sirocco fan by taking in the cold air from the intake port 20a provided in the upper part.

  An adsorption filter 27 is disposed on the upper stage portion 23 c of the intake passage 23. Thereby, it is not necessary to provide a separate housing for installing the suction filter 27, and the number of parts can be reduced. As shown in FIG. 8, the adsorption filter 27 is made of a copper-manganese sintered material formed in a honeycomb shape, and adsorbs odor components contained in the passing air.

  The exhaust part 25b provided on the peripheral surface of the blower 25 exhausts the air taken in the axial direction from the intake part 25a in the circumferential direction. The exhaust passage 24 facing the exhaust part 25b is formed so as to guide the exhaust of the blower 25 to the discharge port 20b. An ion generator 26 is provided on the exhaust side of the blower 5. As shown in FIG. 9, the ion generator 26 has an ion generation surface 26 a composed of electrodes that generate ions when a high voltage is applied, and the ion generation surface 26 a is arranged facing the exhaust path 24.

A voltage having an AC waveform or an impulse waveform is applied to the ion generation surface 26 a of the ion generator 26 under the control of the control unit 13. When the applied voltage of the ion generating surface 26a is positive, positive ions mainly composed of H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _n are generated, and when negative voltage is applied, negative ions mainly composed of O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _m are generated. appear. H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _n and O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _m aggregate on the surface of microorganisms and surround airborne microorganisms such as microorganisms in the air.

Then, as shown in the formulas (1) to (3), the active species [.OH] (hydroxyl radical) and H ₂ O ₂ (hydrogen peroxide) are aggregated and formed on the surface of the microorganism or the like by collision. Sterilize airborne bacteria. Therefore, the inside of the refrigerator compartment 3 can be sterilized by generating positive ions and negative ions. Further, negative ions can be generated to remove odor components in the refrigerator compartment 3.

H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _n + O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _m → OH + _1/2 O ₂ + (n + m) H ₂ O (1)
H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _n + H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _{n ′} + O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _m + O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _{m ′} → 2 · OH + O ₂ + (n + n ′ + m + m ′) H ₂ O (2)
H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _n + H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _{n ′} + O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _m + O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _{m ′} → H ₂ O ₂ + O ₂ + (n + n ′ + m + m ′) H ₂ O (3)

  The cool air that naturally convects in the refrigerator compartment 3 and flows backward in the vicinity of the upper surface 3 c is formed at the front upper portion of the ion sending unit 20 as shown by an arrow A (see FIGS. 6 and 7) by driving the blower 25. It is taken into the ion delivery unit 20 from the mouth 20a. The cold air passes through the adsorption filter 27 and flows from the upper step portion 23c of the intake passage 23 to the lower step portion 23d through the communication hole 23a. And as shown to the arrow B (refer FIG. 7), it attracts | sucks to the air blower 25 through the through-hole 23b via the intake part 25a.

  As shown by the arrow C (see FIG. 6) from the exhaust part 25b of the blower 25, the cool air exhausted to the exhaust path 24 includes ions released from the ion generator 26. Then, as shown by an arrow D (see FIG. 6), cold air containing ions is discharged into the refrigerating chamber 3 from the discharge port 20b at the lower rear of the ion delivery unit 20, and diffuses into the refrigerating chamber 3 along natural convection. Is done.

Here, the flow rate by the blower 25 is 0.6 to 1.0 m ³ / h, and the opening area of the exhaust part 25b is formed to be about 15 mm × 15 mm. Thereby, the exhaust air from the blower 25 is gently circulated so that the average wind speed is about 0.7 to 1.3 m / sec. For this reason, the ion generation surface 26a is inclined by about 10 ° to 20 ° in the direction facing the exhaust portion 25b with respect to the exhaust direction of the blower 25, but passes through a cold airflow with few vortices along the ion generation surface 26a. Can be made. Therefore, ions generated on the ion generation surface 26a can be efficiently taken into the cold airflow.

  When positive ions and negative ions are generated by the ion generator 26, collision of ions is reduced by a cold airflow with few vortices. When binding or annihilation occurs due to collision of ions, active species are generated in the ion delivery unit 20, ions that diffuse into the refrigerator compartment 3 to generate active species are reduced, and sterilization ability is reduced. For this reason, by reducing the collision of ions, the ions can efficiently pass through the exhaust passage 24, and a lot of positive ions and negative ions can be discharged from the discharge port 20b. Therefore, power consumption can be reduced, and the generation amount of ozone described later can be suppressed.

  Moreover, when the average wind speed of the cold air flow by the blower 25 exceeds 1.3 m / sec, noise increases. For this reason, the operation sound of the refrigerator 1 can be kept low by setting the average wind speed to 1.3 m / sec or less.

  Further, the wall surface of the exhaust passage 24 facing the ion generation surface 26a is inclined in the same direction as the ion generation surface 26a by a curved surface (see FIG. 6). Thereby, the increase in pressure loss can be suppressed, the direction of the cold airflow can be changed efficiently, and the illuminating lamp 28 can be bypassed to guide the cold air backward. Therefore, space saving and compactness of the ion delivery unit 20 can be achieved. You may form the wall surface facing the ion generating surface 26a by the inclined plane.

  Further, the opening area of the discharge port 20b of the ion delivery unit 20 is formed to be about 30 mm × 18 to 20 mm. Thereby, the cool air is gently discharged also from the discharge port 20b, and the average wind speed is about 0.3 to 0.5 m / sec. For this reason, a cold airflow with few vortices is discharged to the refrigerator compartment 3, and circulates in the room according to the gentle natural convection in the refrigerator compartment 3. Accordingly, the binding and disappearance due to the collision between the positive ions and the negative ions in the vicinity of the discharge port 20b are suppressed, and both ions diffuse into the refrigerator compartment 3 and adhere to the indoor floating bacteria or the wall surface with less power consumption. Bacteria and the like can be sterilized.

  The cold air flow is most preferably a flow in a laminar flow region or a region close to a laminar flow, and ion collision can be reduced. In the case where the cold airflow flowing through the exhaust passage 24 includes a turbulent flow region, a rectifying plate along the cold airflow may be provided in the exhaust passage 24 including the vicinity of the exhaust portion 25b and the vicinity of the discharge port 20b. As a result, the cold air flow rectified by the flow straightening plate flows, and it is possible to efficiently deliver ions with low power consumption and a small amount of ozone generation. It is more desirable to provide the rectifying plate on the upstream side of the ion generator 26, and the disappearance of ions due to the collision with the rectifying plate can be avoided.

  Note that, as in the present embodiment, for example, the ventilation conditions where the ventilation width (opening width of the exhaust part 25b) is 15 mm or less and the average wind speed is 1.3 m / sec or less are layers in the low temperature region (−5 ° C. to 10 ° C.). Satisfy the condition of a cold airflow with few vortices with a flow region or a region close to laminar flow.

  Moreover, the ion generator 26 generates ozone simultaneously by generating ions. When the amount of ozone generated increases, the odor of ozone gives the user an unpleasant feeling. FIG. 10 shows the ozone concentration in the refrigerator compartment 3 due to the ozone generated by the ion generator 26. The vertical axis indicates the ozone concentration (unit: ppm) in the refrigerator compartment 3, and the horizontal axis indicates the elapsed time.

  According to the figure, when the amount of ozone generated from the ion generator 26 is 0.1 mg / h or less, the ozone concentration can be maintained at 0.01 ppm or less that does not cause discomfort. Therefore, the amount of ozone generated from the ion generator 26 is controlled to be 0.1 mg / h or less by the control unit 13 (see FIG. 2).

  According to the present embodiment, since the ion delivery unit 20 is installed in the vicinity of the upper surface 3c of the refrigerator compartment 3, the ions are easily included in the cold air flowing along the upper surface of the refrigerator compartment 3 by natural convection and the ions are simply added. Can be circulated inside. Moreover, the stored item can be stored without the ion delivery unit 20 getting in the way, and the deterioration of the usability of the refrigerator 1 can be prevented. In addition, you may attach the ion sending unit 20 to the backplate 3b and the side wall 3d (refer FIG. 1) close to the upper surface 3c of the refrigerator compartment 3. FIG.

Moreover, since the ion delivery unit 20 has the air blower 25, the cold air which distribute | circulates the refrigerator compartment 3 can be made to include ion and discharge easily. Further, it is only necessary that the cool air can pass through the ion delivery unit 20 by the blower 25. For this reason, it is possible to use a blower having a small air volume compared to the amount of air (about 10 m ³ / h) in the case of a refrigerator that has a cold air duct and circulates cold air using a blower, and can suppress an increase in power consumption.

  In addition, since the ion generator 26 is disposed on the exhaust side of the blower 25, the disappearance of ions due to the collision with the blower 25 can be prevented. Further, since the adsorption filter 27 is arranged on the intake side of the blower 25, the cold air containing ions does not pass through the adsorption filter 27, so that the disappearance of ions due to adsorption can be prevented.

These are front views which show the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention. These are side surface sectional drawings which show the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention. These are perspective views which show the ion sending unit of the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention. These are front views which show the ion sending unit of the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention. These are bottom views which show the ion sending unit of the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention. These are top views which show the ion sending unit of the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention. These are side surface sectional drawings which show the ion sending unit of the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention. These are perspective views which show the adsorption filter of the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention. These are perspective views which show the ion generator of the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention. These are figures which show the ozone concentration of the refrigerator compartment by the ion generator of the refrigerator of embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator 2 Housing | casing 3 Refrigeration room 3b Back plate 3c Upper surface 4 Freezer room 10,11 Cooler 12 Compressor 13 Control part 14 Drain pipe 20 Ion sending unit 20a Inlet 20b Outlet 21 Main part 22 Cover 23 Intake passage 24 Exhaust Route 25 Blower 26 Ion generator 26a Ion generation surface 27 Adsorption filter 28 Illumination lamp

Claims (6)

A storage room for storing stored items;
Cooling means that emits cold heat and is adjacent to the storage chamber via a back plate of the storage chamber;
In the refrigerator that cools the storage chamber by natural convection generated by cold heat discharged to the storage chamber through the back plate,
An ion generator that generates ions and a blower that takes in and exhausts air in the storage chamber, and includes an ion delivery unit that is arranged on the exhaust side of the blower, the ion delivery unit including the ion delivery unit Attach behind the upper side of the storage room,
The rear part of the ion delivery unit is bent downward, and a discharge port is provided at a tip extending downward. The ions are discharged together with the air in the ion delivery unit into the space below the discharge port, thereby cooling the ions. A refrigerator characterized by discharging into the storage chamber on the back plate side in the vicinity of the upper part of the means. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the blower includes a sirocco fan, and the ion sending unit has an intake port for taking in cool air arranged at an upper front portion . The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ion delivery unit includes an illuminating lamp that illuminates the storage chamber . The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ion delivery unit has an adsorption filter that adsorbs an odor component contained in the intake air and is disposed on the intake side of the blower . The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that to generate positive ions and negative ions by the ion generating device. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a control unit for controlling the amount of ozone generated by the ion generating device below 0.1 mg / h.

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